Symposium Enlightens South Florida Engineers on How Today’s Global Megatrends are Influencing Florida’s Concrete Future to Support Sustainable Building During South Florida Construction Upsurge

A cross-section of accomplished South Florida engineers who are leading
new and renovated design/builds of commercial and residential projects
in high density cities throughout Florida, U.S and the globe were
briefed on the current and future challenges in the “next chapter” of
quality sustainable building and the related need for early-stage
collaboration at an innovation symposium at Florida
International University (FIU) College of Engineering and Computing.
Hosted by building industry leaders Titan
Concrete, BASF
Construction Chemicals and FIU, the “Tomorrow’s
Building Solutions…Today” program featured expert presenters from
each organization sharing the evolving global construction demands,
regulatory challenges, and weather/wind and energy impact design
essentials for new signature Green Sensesm approaches applied
in the building of some of the tallest iconic buildings in the world.
Supertall (984 feet) and megatall (1,968 feet) buildings showcased
throughout the program included the World
Trade Center in Manhattan, Trump
Tower and Aqua
in Chicago, Devon
Tower in Oklahoma City, The
Shard in the UK, Infinity
Tower in Dubai, and the Shanghai
Tower.

“This symposium provided an excellent opportunity to have an impressive
group of engineers together in one room to learn critical information
about the dynamic quality sustainability advances that are being
achieved as science teams up with concrete technologists to manipulate
nanostructures to positively impact not just the microstructure, but
also the building that is being raised,” reflected Dr.
Andreas Tselebidis, BASF Director for Sustainable Concrete
Technology responsible for all signature BASF projects worldwide.

Agreeing with Tselebidis, Dr.
Cesar Constantino, Titan America’s Senior Director of Process and
Quality noted that “it was of great benefit that all three presenters
demonstrated where the key triggering points are that need to be
addressed with care by engineers and architects long before building
design, rather than at the end of the process. Symposium participants
saw that the customizing of concrete solutions for a project with
locally available materials, such as Greencrete®
available through Titan Concrete in South Florida, has to take place in
tandem while other engineering activities – such as wind design – are
taking place so that needs are effectively and coherently addressed.

“With concrete clearly becoming the preferred ‘material of choice’ for
the tallest buildings as mass and damping play critical roles in
performance of the structure to control vibration and motions, the
concrete producer can no longer be seen as a mere product supplier, but
rather an expert research and resource partner in developing design
solutions that are sustainable, cost-effective and long-lasting.”

As an example, when Greencrete is specified, “it brings Titan Concrete’s
innovation to the integrative project planning and design process which
in turn supports a USGBC credit category in LEED v4,” continued
Constantino who serves on behalf of Titan Concrete as the Task Group
Chair for the Concrete Science Platform of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Concrete Sustainability Hub and works closely with local
academia at UM and FIU on research and development initiatives.

Tselebidis reinforced how important it is for “engineers, architects,
owners and developers to dig into and embrace the new research levels
and science out there and allow the science to come into reality in
their buildings, both for the short-term processes and the future,
long-lasting maintenance processes on the operational side. By focusing
on blending these aspects into concrete and building materials as a
whole, we make entire structures successful economically as well as
ecologically.”

“The long-standing strong bond of BASF and Titan reinforced by FIU’s
advisory and state-of-the-art testing facility services is game-changing
for South Florida,” noted Dr.
Peter A. Irwin, FIU, College of Engineering and Computing who
presented on the impacts of structural and wind engineering, insights
into wind design considerations in tall concrete buildings and efficient
structure designs that reduce environmental impacts through accurate
knowledge of wind loading and imaginative structural engineering. “We at
FIU, with our concrete lab sponsored by Titan, Wall of Wind and solar
house testing platforms at our disposal, look forward to partnering with
Titan and BASF on future projects in Florida.”

For more information on the symposium and future symposium and
continuing education programming, contact Mark Wachtel of Titan Concrete
at (954) 553-3870 ormwachtel@titanamerica.com.

About Titan Concrete, a Titan America Business

Titan America is a leading environmentally and socially-progressive
heavy building materials company located in the eastern United States.
In operation since 1902, Titan remains a family-led business with a
values-oriented, people-focused culture.

About BASF Construction Chemicals

BASF provides admixture products and concrete technologies to help
building owners, design professionals, concrete producers, and
contractors build structures that perform to the highest standards while
minimizing environmental impact.

About FIU, Engineering and Computing

As an educational leader in a changing economic, technological, and
social environment, the FIU College of Engineering and Computing is
committed to excellence, quality, sustained growth and access while
offering our students an outstanding and rigorous education in an
environment that supports intellectual growth.